There is no question that the presence of Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre is sorely missed among his team.
However, the show must go on. With that in mind, it’s business as usual for Keyshawn ‘The Businessman’ Davis.
The 2020 Olympic Silver medalist and blue chip rising lightweight has gone all in for his upcoming bout versus Nahir Albright this Saturday on ESPN from Fort Bend Epicenter in Rosenberg, Texas. The heart of training camp has come while McIntyre has remained jailed in the United Kingdom over a gun charge for which he will appear before the Manchester Crown Court on Monday.
Davis (9-0, 6KOs) has fired on all cylinders during training camp for his third fight of a productive 2023 campaign. The past several weeks served as a reminder that McIntyre—however prolific—is part of a highly capable team.
“This is a very unfortunate situation that Bomac is not here,” Davis told BoxingScene.com. “We all professionals. This really has been one of the best camps I’ve ever been in. There have been so many adjustments with adding people and taking people away. This has been one of the best. You can look at me and see I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.
“It’s really unfortunate that I didn’t get to share this experience with Bomac since this has been our best camp. But it just goes to show this team is strong even without our head coach.”
McIntyre was arrested on September 3 in the Terminal 2 departure lounge of Manchester Airport while awaiting an international flight to Atlanta when a gun was discovered in his checked-in luggage through the airport baggage scan. The 52-year-old was in country to work the corner for Chris Eubank Jr., who delivered a brilliantly one-sided, tenth-round knockout of Liam Smith on September 2 to avenge a stoppage defeat earlier this year. McIntyre and his team were hired by Eubank earlier this summer and only added to his case as the leading candidate for 2023 Trainer of the Year.
Far greater concerns are presently in place, however. Possession of a handgun is generally prohibited in the UK, which carries among the strictest penalties in the world. Boxing Scene has confirmed that McIntyre is due for a plea and sentencing hearing on Monday, at which time he and his legal team hope for his release and return home.
Such a move would allow him to at least be ringside for Davis’ tenth pro fight. The heart of the work has been handled by the rest of the team, including Esau Dieguez and Red Spikes. The same team has been in place for more than a decade and remains the core group behind three-division and reigning undisputed welterweight champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (40-0, 31KOs).
The 24-year-old Davis is confident that same team will lead him—as well as older brother Kelvin Davis who fights on the undercard—to another memorable night in the ring come Saturday.
“Just after the Terence Crawford fight, after this Chris Eubank fight, we were saying how a lot of people especially the media was giving Bomac a lot of praise,” noted Davis. “Me being part of this team, I know it’s Coach Bomac, Coach Red and of course Coach Easu, Maybe coming into this fight, where Kelvin and I give the fans two spectacular performances with not being able to have Bomac in camp with us will show it’s a team, not just Bomac.
“Hopefully Bomac will still be able to be there, but this can be a lovely story, a beautiful story after [Saturday].”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox